Thursday, December 21, 2006

tomorrow is the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year. oh yeah, Christmas is right around the corner too. my buddies, Daniel and Joseph, who i mentioned in the previous post,helped me to understand that the holidays we celebrate are connected to the Earth's trip around the Sun, and to the thinking that existed before Christianity. no one knows the actual birth date of Christ, so it was deemed a good idea to use the Winter Solstice, since it was already being celebrated. our Christmas holiday was " piggy - backed " onto the pagan observance. and look into the history of Coca-Cola to find out why Santa Clause looks the way he does. in Europe, where Christmas began, he is depicted as tall and lean. that guy could more easily get down one's chimney. hmmm ......... start piercing the veil. it's a whole lotta fun !!! so, what does all this mean? we are still connected, in our thinking and actions, to something bigger ....... though we don't know it. i just came back from turning a kiln on and it is starting to get light in the Eastern sky and the traffic on Rt. 4 is picking up. being a potter is a lot like being a farmer. once into a cycle of production it is a daily thing. and i mean every day. seven days a week. it's a privilege to be able to work like this and to be outside before the Sun comes up. and to have this quiet time of day to think about it all ......

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

OK ...... so i'm a potter ..... but i intend to have different links and what-not here on my blog. the " usual suspects " in terms of pottery books, magazines, links, etc. are pretty well covered. if you are reading this you most likely have an interest in pottery and are already aware of all that stuff.that being said, some interesting reading can be found in the work of Daniel Quinn. how we got to this point from the advent of agriculture. the first book of his that i read was My Ishmael and it was a real eye opener. don't be fooled by the seemingly simple writing.

along the same lines another hero of mine was Joseph Campbell. i recommend The Power of Myth, and that can be digested most easily in the interview format with Bill Moyers on dvd. his phrase " follow your bliss " keeps me making pots ............ and music. more about music and guitars especially in future " other things " blogs.

Friday, December 15, 2006

ahhh ....... the female form. Artists have been intrigued by it forever. And for a lot of us the love of women draws us to capture that spark. Or edge ........ I have just recently started making these " lady " pots and they are a nice change from throwing - they start out as thrown but are then finished by hand. And each gal is different with her own personality. It's about time to start a couple more. They have been getting more life like as they go along. I may have to find a gallery that deals in erotic Art

Thursday, December 14, 2006

........... was drawn by hand using a Sharpie on paper that was attached to my wheel. Eric Ott, who built my website then scanned it and made it red. I use it on my business cards and other two dimensional things. All of which are just as important as the pots themselves as they become associated with the work and the maker. Byron Temple is my biggest influence and he was known for taking as much care with the things that represented him and his work as with the work itself.

The spiral ..... it speaks of how clay is formed on a potters wheel and is a design element commonly found in nature.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

I have created this blog to post pictures of current work and to exercise the part of me that likes to put things down on paper ........ in this case via keyboard and electrons. As we know everything is connected and an interest in Art/Craft/Music, etc. leads to many fascinating places.